The Last Redemption
by Sydoe
Summary: Anakin battles for control with Vader in his head while Luke is being purged by Palpatine. rated T for later chapter violence. Read and review, no flames, oneshot. This was inspired by a level of LEGO Star Wars. Thanks to everyone who sent in their review
1. Prologue

**The Last Redemption**

Prologue

"If you will not turn," the wicked and old Emperor Palpatine grimly said, "you will be destroyed!" At that instant, Palpatine raised both his hands and shot out the purge of the dark side of the Force. It struck Luke Skywalker, filling him with the worst form of pain and agony he had ever experienced.

Darth Vader, in his broken armor, stood from the side where his hand been cut off and slowly moved himself to the spot next to Palpatine. Beneath the shell that was the cold and dark exterior of Darth Vader, was the face of the once good Anakin Skywalker. He heard the cries of his son in agony, calling for aid from his father.

"Father, please help!" Luke called to Vader.

Vader stood quietly in that moment of horror. He stood behind Palpatine for a moment and closed his eyes as an old man. When he opened them again, he opened them as a young man.

Anakin Skywalker opened his eyes after smelling what seemed like miles and miles of asphalt and lava that just recently exploded from volcanoes nearby. He looked around himself and saw the area he was in. He was back on Mustafar, standing however, on an unfamiliar platform. Ahead of him, there was a large durasteel door that stood silently shut.

Before deciding to enter the door, he looked at himself. He was wearing the same bold attire that he wore the day he turned to evil and became Darth Vader. But something was different. Anakin had felt something in his arm that he hadn't felt for so long. He saw the long glove that he wore, but he didn't feel the mechanical arm underneath. Instead, he felt the old organic arm he was born with. Once again, Anakin examined his arm and felt that he was completely human again.

Anakin stepped forward and walked for the door. He warily took out his lightsaber and prepared himself for danger, for he felt it behind the door. He felt a danger that gave him memories of fear and hatred behind. He began to hear voices of pain that came from those whom he loved most.

And then, the door slowly opened.

For a moment, Anakin reminisced. He remembered his experiences on Naboo when he had an old master before Obi-Wan Kenobi. He remembered that in the hangar they were in, there was a door that opened exactly like the way this door was opening right now.

In Anakin's memory, he remembered that the Sith that killed Qui-Gon Jinn stood behind.

In this current battle for redemption, Anakin saw that behind the door stood the mechanical, dark, breathing figure that was the shell of Darth Vader.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Anakin took a step back and wondered how it was possible that his own shell was standing before him. Anakin raised his lightsaber slightly, wondering how this was possible.

Vader stood there breathing heavily with his lightsaber drawn and activated. At first, he awaited any reaction to be made by Anakin, but grew impatient as all Sith do. He then began in his cold voice while taking a few steps forward, "And so the fight begins. This will be the final decisive battle to see whether the Prophecy was true. But as we both know, the Dark Side will win today. No prophecy will ever be fulfilled. Your lineage is lost."

Anakin, somewhat lost and somewhat angered, slightly raised his lightsaber. He activated it carefully, watching Vader with wary eyes. "Who are you?" Anakin silently asked.

"I am you. I am the real you. I am Darth Vader," he answered.

Anakin shook his head in disbelief. "No. It isn't true. I am and will be always Anakin Skywalker."

"Is that so?" Vader answered coldly. He exhaled again and the exhale sent a chill through Anakin's body. Anakin's memories began to come back. Voices echoed behind Anakin telling him that he was wrong.

"No. It's a lie!" Anakin yelled. He lunged at Vader with his saber overhead and tried to strike at him. Vader took a step to the left and parried another attack after Anakin stroke.

"Your anger gives you great strength. You fail to realize it!" Vader said without emotion. He gave a simple attack combination to Anakin, which he parried with ease.

Anakin took a moment to give Vader a small cut on his shoulder giving himself an advantage. But something was wrong. Anakin felt a slight burn developing on his shoulder. It was the same cut he delivered to Vader.

"What sort of trickery is this?" Anakin asked.

"There is no trickery. You just haven't learned how to defeat me. You haven't learned how to accept the truth: that you are Darth Vader, lord of the Sith."

"No!" Anakin stroke again at Vader at that moment, filled with more intensity and anger. Vader parried once again and gave Anakin a cut in his left arm. The cut burned in Anakin, making him scream in pain.

But Anakin realized something at that moment. He remembered that the cut he gave Vader developed on his own body. Anakin looked at Vader's left arm, hoping that there would be a cut too. But alas, not even a scratch was present.

Filled with shock, Anakin ran back to the center of the platform and raised his lightsaber defensively. Vader followed slowly, his lightsaber at the ready. Vader struck at Anakin with the same intensity and anger that Anakin had showed earlier. Anakin blocked the combination of strikes that followed and leapt carefully and gracefully to the side.

"I might have underestimated you," Vader said amazed. "Maybe we should make things more… interesting." Vader suddenly began to move with such speed. He then began to give more difficult combinations.

Anakin gave the same, bringing his skill higher. The two duelists fought bravely with such precision, speed, and strength. Their sabers locked for some moments, but were finished off with strikes or blows.

It wasn't long until Anakin got his second cut over his knee. Vader said with interest, "Surely you can do better!" He laughed slightly after his mockery and continued to fight.

Anakin leapt over Vader and gave him a cut at the back of his neck, unaware that the same cut would develop on his own neck. Anakin took himself back, far from Vader for a second.

He placed his hand on the stinging wound behind his neck and continued to take more steps back. Vader turned to Anakin and began to walk towards him. Anakin kept taking more small steps, until there were no more steps to take. Anakin was at the edge of the platform. He looked down at the rivers of lava under the platform and noticed that there were little durasteel platforms and droids floating over the lava.

Looking back at Vader, who was a few steps from striking him, Anakin fell backwards off the platform and landed on his feet on a solid durasteel platform.

Vader realized that Anakin was taking advantage of his surroundings and decided to play his game. Vader leapt for a nearby platform and used the Force to make it go closer to Anakin's.

The swordfight continued and took itself to a much higher level.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Rage, anger, hatred, and strength were the emotions that came in this battle. The lightsabers clashed and met with endless speed and intensity. And the faster they fought, the faster the platforms moved towards the edge of a lava waterfall.

Above the edge was a small but long durasteel bridge; it was high enough to leap for. Vader's back was faced towards the edge and Anakin stood opposite to him. He saw the bridge and saw the edge of the lava waterfall.

Anakin leapt high up and landed on the edge on the bridge and watched Vader follow up before the two platforms fell down the lava waterfall. He landed close enough to Anakin and immediately stroke at him.

Vader made continuous attempts to strike, but was beaten off by parries. Anakin watched his saber closely and predicted his every move. Vader slashed for Anakin's legs but he leapt before the impact and flew towards a spot farther from Vader.

Before he landed, however, Vader raised his hand towards the spot Anakin was about to land on. The spot began to crumple and break off from the bridge. Anakin was closer to landing on the spot. Vader angrily formed his hand into a fist and the spot completely crumpled and fell into the lava.

Anakin spotted the durasteel plate that had been crumpled off and used the Force to push his own farther towards the edge of the next plate. He almost fell through the big gap but managed to balance his body.

While Anakin struggled to stay balanced, Vader flew towards Anakin, spinning with his lightsaber pointed straight at Anakin's torso.

The lightsaber nearly met Anakin's torso, but he leapt up and caught some overhead pipes. Vader looked up. "What!" he managed to yell after using most of his energy.

Anakin climbed the pipes and looked back at Vader. As he got up, he steadily stood on the thin pipes and ran down it.

Vader once again raised his hand towards the pipe and crushed it with the Force. The pipe swung down, with Anakin tightly holding on. The pipe snapped and fell towards solid dirt.

The pipe dug into the ground and Anakin's feet touched solid ground as well.

Vader looked towards Anakin and leapt for the pipe. His feet touched the edges of the pipe as he grinded down it towards Anakin.

Anakin ran away from Vader's dark figure and ran towards a large familiar platform. Anakin tried to recall and it finally remembered the scene on which took place on this platform.

This was the platform where he gave end to the love of his life.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The platform was a dead end. There was nowhere else left to turn to. He stood there with his lightsaber lowered at the platform and saw the same things that were present at the platform including the Naboo Star Skiff many years ago.

He walked towards one of the landing gears and felt it with his gloveless arm. It felt so real. He closed his eyes and recalled the scene once more. He shook his head in disbelief. Everything had finally come to him.

He finally realized his own flaws as a Jedi. He realized now that he _was _impatient, angry, and arrogant. He realized that killing was not the Jedi way, yet he killed the leaders of the Separatist forces.

He shook his head again. And in that second, he opened his eyes again and bent his body to the side. Once again, Vader had broken Anakin's moment of realization and slashed off the landing gear Anakin had felt earlier.

The landing gear broke and the Skiff lost support and fell to its side. Anakin turned swiftly to Vader and slashed his lightsaber away again. They came back to their violent fight.

"I sense that you have realized your mistakes in the past," Vader told. "Coming here to fight me is another one. You will die, Anakin Skywalker." He raised his lightsaber high over his head and slashed off Anakin's gloved arm.

Anakin screamed with such agony and pain. He deactivated his lightsaber and dropped it on the platform floor. He looked up at Vader and saw that he made no attempt to finish Anakin off.

"What are you-" Anakin asked angrily. "Why don't you do it and finish me off?"

Vader made no reply.

Anakin paid no more attention to Vader and looked back at the cut area of his arm. The bone had been sliced off clean; blood dripped from his arm. Anakin looked again at Vader, who was still breathing over Anakin's fallen body. Anakin lowered his head and looked around and saw something he never thought he'd see. There, lying a few feet away from the duelist was the body of a woman.

"Padme…" he whispered under his own breath. " I loved you."

And then, a pain began to come from his cut arm. He turned it towards his face and saw a small piece of machinery growing from the bone. He held his own breath in that second of horror and exhaled. But when he exhaled, it came out much different than usual. It sounded a lot like Vader's breath.

"No," Anakin said, horrified. "I can't be turning into you."

"ACCEPT YOUR DESTINY!" Vader shouted and echoed throughout the entire scene.

"No," Anakin repeated. "I won't let it happen again."

"IT IS YOUR FATE!" Vader shouted again.

"NOOOOO!" Anakin yelled out.

He looked back at Padme's body and saw that it was slowly disappearing. With his other hand, Padme reached out for Padme. "No, Padme! Please! I love you!" It was at that last sentence, that Padme's body was wholly visible again.

"What did you say to her?" Vader asked, somewhat horrified.

"I said, 'I love you,'" Anakin repeated to Vader. And as he said that sentence once more, Vader took a step back.

It was there that Anakin realized Vader's true weakness: love. Vader had no love in his heart. He merely had the emotions of a Sith. He lacked a heart of love and that was the greatest power Anakin had possessed. He just didn't realize it yet. And it was also then that Anakin also realized that love was the one thing that distinguished him from the other Jedi. He had love.

"I love Padme," Anakin said and aimed his hand for his lightsaber. "I LOVE HER!" The lightsaber flew back into Anakin's one hand and activated it. He caught Vader by surprise at slashed for him. Vader evaded the sting of Anakin's saber and stepped backwards without raising his own lightsaber.

Anakin continued to push Vader towards the end. He pushed Vader towards the ledge of the platform. And as Vader lost his balance and fell towards the river of lava that flowed below, Anakin whispered, "And I love my children."

Vader's body fell into the lava legs first. His body slowly burned as he sank deeper into the burning lava. His cape had caught fire as well and spread around his torso.

Anakin began to burn slowly as well. His legs melted away and began for his hips. He closed his eyes and accepted what was about to happen.

Vader's body was no more and his head was the only piece of himself left. The mask of Darth Vader sank and the last few breaths barely came out.

Anakin's head began to burn away as well.

The spirit of Darth Vader was destroyed forever.


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue 

Anakin opened his eyes again and was back in the Emperor's Throne Room on the Death Star. Palpatine was still purging Luke; Anakin was not too late. Looking back at his son and remembering what had just happened, he grabbed the Emperor by the ribs and carried him over his head with all his strength.

Palpatine still purged and Anakin was hurt by it. He walked over to the edge of the elevator platform and looked down the endless pit below. He lunged Palpatine down the pit and watched as the last Sith died away.

Anakin fell backwards and took as many breaths as he could take. They would be his last.

Luke stood from the spot where he had been purged and walked towards the fallen body of his father. He knelt down and asked, "Father?"

"Son," Vader said, smiling underneath his mask. "I love you."


End file.
